One down, many more to go.
Despite abysmal shooting, the 76ers took care of business against the declining Boston Celtics 107-93.
The win broke a five-game slide in season openers, dating back to Brett Brown's first game with the franchise on October 30, 2013.
Times have changed, and unlike that Sixers team which shocked the two-time defending champion Heat, this one is expected to do what Miami did when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were teammates.
While this certainly wasn't a pretty victory, a win is a win.
Remarkable Defense
The 76ers defense is elite, which was the expectation when General Manager Elton Brand constructed this roster. The Sixers forced Boston to shoot 36 percent (33-of-90) and 24 percent from three-point range (seven-for-26) by contesting the majority of the looks the Celtics took. In addition, they recorded seven blocks and six steals.
Kemba Walker was 4-of-18 in his Celtic debut—at some points being guarded by rookie Matisse Thybulle. Welcome to the NBA, young man. Nice job. Josh Richardson was also a menace on defense. He plays with a grit and intensity that Philadelphia is going to love.
Marc Zumoff said it perfectly on the NBC Sports Philadelphia telecast—"What they lose in not having JJ Redick's shooting, they gain in Richardson's length and athleticism, especially on the defensive end."
More on Richardson shortly.
"Had our defense not been our defense, we might have seen a different result," Brown said.
If this team can find it's rhythm offensively, things will start getting scary.
Ben Simmons Needs A Jump Shot?
The answer to that sub-headline is yes, but at the same time, for as much as we talk about what Ben Simmons isn't great at, we should be talking just as much about the remarkable talent he is.
Simmons scored 24 points on 11-of-16 with 9 assists and 8 rebounds. He was the best player on the floor Wednesday night.
"I'm skilled, I'm gifted, so I think I'm pretty good at what I do," Simmons said. "I mean there's things I got to get better at. Everybody knows that in the room. It's shooting, but I'm working, so it is what it is."
Simmons' attitude and leadership remain excellent this season.
Offense A Work In Progress
Speaking of a work in progress, the Sixers weakness is clearly offense. They shot poorly as well, which is why Brown said defense is a huge reason they're 1-0.
It's going to take some time for them, especially with two new starters, to find rhythm. They only played two preseason games together as a full starting unit.
It's a good sign that things picked up in the second half after their slow start. It's also a positive that even during offensive struggles, they're able to generate offense by their very good defense—finishing with 14 fast break points.
Charity Stripe A Friendly Place
For as poor as the 76ers field goal percentage was, they got to the line 36 times, and made 26 of them.
Awful Officiating
There were 63 total fouls called in this game. Way too many. It slowed the flow of the contest down significantly, and a lot of them were questionable at best.
Brown, despite being very pleased with his team's defensive efforts, thought they whacked the Celtics too much. I'd argue the referees need to have a better feel for the game and let some things slide, as long as players aren't at risk of getting injured—which was never the case in this game.
Joel Embiid getting hit in the face was accidental—not the result of chippy play.
Wednesday's referees made NFL officiating look good.
Frosty Freeze Out Off To A Great Start
The Frosty Freeze Out worked multiple times Wednesday night. It's the best in-game promotion I've ever seen.
Al Horford Ringing The Bell Was Brilliant
I asked Twitter followers Wednesday morning who they thought was going to ring the Sixers pregame bell. I don't think many, if anyone, predicted Al Horford. Allen Iverson was in the building, and he would've been an easy selection.
But, having Horford do it was simply brilliant for many reasons, including being an epic troll of the Celtics, Horford's former team.
Al Horford Tonight's Bell Ringer #Sixers pic.twitter.com/mfyppF04VF
— Dave Uram (@MrUram) October 23, 2019"It was a very cool moment," Horford said. "I really, really enjoyed it. Felt like it was special."
Richardson Taking A Jab At Heat Fans?
Fittingly, while Horford rang the bell pregame, Richardson got the honors postgame in the locker room.
*sound on* pic.twitter.com/kevYex2MJk
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 24, 2019Richardson scored 17 points and played excellent defense. He also had the line of the postgame press conference sessions, even though I don't think he meant anything malicious by it.
He was asked about the opening night atmosphere at Wells Fargo Center, and in the process, shared an observation he picked up early in the evening.
"It kinda felt like a playoff atmosphere already," Richardson said. "They're on time. That was great. And so as soon as the game started, it was like, it was ready to pop from the jump."
"They were on time. That was great."Josh Richardson on #Sixers fans pic.twitter.com/1RLHq4vfVZ
— Dave Uram (@MrUram) October 24, 2019Is he saying Heat fans showed up late during his time in Miami? Richardson clarified he was not.
Not a jab... i can't compliment ppl for punctuality now lol that's crazy https://t.co/5faiLvRvKp
— Josuélito (@J_Rich1) October 24, 2019
